Law firm takes on 3 clients claiming assault at Lucas County Jail

LUCAS COUNTY, OH (Toledo News Now) - The man who claims he was assaulted by a Lucas County deputy while in custody has hired a lawyer.

The law firm, Kerger & Hartman, has taken on Kyle Espinosa as a client, as well as two other former inmates claiming they were attacked by deputies at the Lucas County Jail. Attorney Steve Hartman says he plans to file a civil rights violation in federal court for his clients against the deputies.

Hartman says his clients were assaulted over the last six weeks.

Espinosa says he was assaulted by a deputy two weeks ago after he says he and the deputy got into a verbal argument. The former inmate claims the deputy choked him and threw him against a wall. The deputy, however, says Espinosa spit in his face and refused to move after being told to multiple times.

Hartman says although good deputies outweigh the bad at the Lucas County Jail, cases like this are all too common.

"And it doesn't matter that these people have been charged with, or in some cases convicted of, a crime," Hartman said. "They still have rights, and one of those rights is not to be attacked and beaten upon by deputies."

Capt. Atkinson with the Lucas County Sheriff's Office says they are aware of two of the three complains and are actively investigating each case. He says they take this matter seriously and Sheriff Tharp has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to any sort of inmate abuse.